Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-03-17
SOUTH SEA IMAGES.
Gigantic Relics Found on Ponape and East
or Islands,

Gigantic Relies Found on Ponape aud East
or Islands.
The success of one of our men-of-war
in securing one of the above images
from Easter island for the Smithsonian
institute has given fresh interest to the
peculiar remains on this little island
on the coast of Chill. The origin of
| these images has been the puzzle of
sayants for years, but it is only recent
~ that it has been discovered that SINH
lar erections exist upon the island Of
Ponape or Ascension, one of the Caro-
line group, situated in north latitude
degrees 81 minutes and east longitude
l5S degrees p minutes in the Pacific
ocean But little is known to the gen
eral public regarding islands in the Pa
cific out of the beaten track of voyag-
eurs. The whalemen, however that
| pursue the large cetacean known as the
sperm variety, in the tropical seas, Wis
it these delightful hooks to repleuish
their stock of provisions and to lay i'm
a store of fruits pigs, and other PROV
ender before proceeding on their Arctic
cruise. The lazy life lhas the islanders
lead, the encryating climate, and de-
sire to escape the work CT board ship
/ have been the causes of many sailors
deserving Mt the points touched. Lured
by the dark eyes and graceful forms of
the dusky island women, they remain
and lead u dolce far nientc life. Upon
many Of the islands that dot the vast
Pacific these ''beach-combers" are TO
be found, every Jack his Jill and a host
Of children around him.
The Caroline group of islands belong
to Spain, but, as is characteristic of the
Spanish, nothing has been done in the
way Of exploration ana little Is known
of them, except by traders or whalers.
Gnam is the port, but at the islands of
Salpan and Ponape whalers stop to re-
cruit From information obtained by
a Chronicle representative from one of
the whaling captains the following &C
count of the ancient ruins, situated up
on Ponape, was obtained:
The beech of glistenng white sand
and coral remains has a growth of rank
grass, reaching almost TO the water-line.
Dense groves of palm, cocoanut and cloth
trees surround village of huts, through
which the pathway to the ruins runs
Over basaltic rocks and volcanic debris,
intermingted with obsidian, visitors are
forced to ci.lNb until distance of over
ten miles from the shore is reached.
Surrounded BY 4 thicket Of palms and
a species Of bamboo i series Of vast
terraces of stone rise, step by step, up
the hillside. These terraces are prob
ably three hundred yards in length and
vary from twenty to thirty feet in width.
The size OF these terraces is insignifi-
cant when the topmost structure is
reached.
A wall OF whitish stone rises at the
summit nearly thirty feet high, and
forming mn irregular rectangle. The
stones composing the wall ere from five
to six feet IN length and eight to ten
feet thick each stone weighing several
tons. Although the sides Of these gi-
gantic stones are perfectly smooth and
Of nearly equal proportions there is not
tie faintest sign Of Il chise mark. No
cement has been used 30 lay them i'll
position and gaps occur at intervals.
At the single gateway. or entrance,
stand two stone monoliths over thirty
feet high, each having at the top an inn
mense bowl. Passing through the en-
trance stone altar is 20 BE seen in the
center Of the inciosure. This altar is
also composed Of stone, but the texture
seems to differ FROM chat used to build
the wall although similar in color.
Two flights OF steps surround this ele-
walton, which has an immense tree
growing In the center. In its growth
the tree has displaced the huge stones
out Of It's level. Parasitical vines and
underground run oyer the walls through
the creyices, and hang in graceful fcs-
t0ons from tbs branches OF the trees.
Alarmed # mans approach beautiful
golden green lizards, with backs glis-
tening in the bright sunlight, dart to
and fro through the brush, but no ven
emous reptiles are found.
BY what race these buildings were
constructed is mystery. The natives
do not know; neither have they any
tradition regarding them. To move
such cyclopcan stones must have re-
quired immense labor and appliances,
and unless the progenitors Of the pres
ent race Of natives were possessed of
knowledge Of the mechanical arts it
is difficult to imagine who were the
builders. Similar gigantic ruins and
images are known to exist III the Pacif-
ic islands only on Easter island The
origin Of these structures is surrounded
with mystery and arch@ologsts ut
tribute their raising to a forgotten race.
Among the rice and yam fields on Sal
pan island may be seen monoliths with
bowls on their tops, but Of small di-
meusions. The natives call these stones
onaccS, and state that their uses are for
landmarks.
The only recorded visit to Ponape by
any scientific individuals was in 1866,
when the Austrian frigate Novara cali
ed at the island Other than this the
existence Of these interesting rains is
hardly known to the general scientific
world. San Francisco Chronicle.